Microsoft Discontinues the Xbox 360 as Reports of New Xbox One Build Up

It is starting to appear that after Sony, which is reportedly planning on releasing an upgraded PS4, Microsoft isn’t intent on falling behind either. A report from The Verge points to a modular version of the Xbox One in the future, a report which gets some boost from the back of Xbox 360’s discontinuation.

You heard it right. After more than ten years of production, Xbox 360, the console which brought HD gaming to the masses and centered Microsoft as a potent force in gaming is now being discontinued.

“While we’ve had an amazing run,” said Xbox chief Phil Spencer, “the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us.” Remaining inventory will continue to be sold out, while services like Xbox Live will continue being run for the foreseeable future.

“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft”. The console sold more than 80 million units within its life, was also the first to get multiple hardware configurations. During its lifetime, though, it dethrone the Nintendo Wii in sales, it overtook its main successor, the PlayStation 3, in terms of sales by a few millions. (Both sold more than 80 million units, however.)

Its successor, the Xbox One, didn’t get as much of a good start as its predecessor, though, and at least in terms of sales has always played a bit of catch-up. Which could be why Microsoft is shutting the 360 altogether and potentially readying the next Xbox model.

The Verge’s report reveals Microsoft as testing a bunch of various Xbox prototypes, including ones which could complement a PC rig. Another seems to point towards a new wireless chip for the Xbox One.

It’s worth mentioning that Phil Spencer has previously put down the notion of an Xbox One 1.5, saying it would mess with the console generation cycles. However, one cannot completely rubbish the idea of a “slim” model for the future, at least.